Only Sakura
by Shukketsu-Sakura
Summary: “But, Sakura, do you LOVE me? Do you wake up every morning thinking of me? Do you wish I was by your side at every waking moment, Sakura?” [NaruSaku] [dropped.]
1. Ichiraku Incident

Sakura stood, her tiny purse in hand as she left the restaurant she was only seconds ago eating in with her best friend: Naruto Uzumaki. Her eyes watered at the thought of him,…how he had just stood and left at something urgent…but she understood. He was Jounin now (She was as well, but she had the night off, and Tsunade had promised her a night of rest and relaxation).

_**Flashback (ten minutes before, up until now)**_

"_Sakura-chan, thanks for inviting me to dinner." Naruto said, as he entered the small ramen shop. He put his arm casually around Sakura's waist, so she wouldn't be bothered by other men._

_Sakura blushed at his sudden gesture, but noticed his wink, and realized his plan. "No problem, kitsu-chan. I've wanted to have a nice dinner with someone for a while."_

"_Heh, I'm glad you picked me then." He said, smiling warmly at her. "Why not Sasuke?"_

_Sakura frowned and furrowed her brow at the thought of their ebony-haired friend. "Sasuke? Please, Naruto-kun, you know he wouldn't have said yes."_

"_Well I don't know Sakura-Chan, he seemed pretty pissed at me when he called and asked if I wanted to go out." He said, smiling sheepishly at the pink-haired kunoichi._

"_Oh…" she was surprised at her friend's actions, and felt a little guilty for not inviting him. "Whoops…"_

_They both laughed at this. She loved his laugh. Ever since they were kids, she'd loved to hear the blond boy laugh. It was so hearty and full, and always true. Subconsciously, she stopped laughing and smiled dreamily at the man next to her._

_Naruto stopped laughing too, and looked confusedly at the tiny girl before him. "Sakura? Are you okay?"_

_She shook her head, and blushed, knowing that he had seen her little blank-out._

"_Hey, Sakura," He said, making her look at him. "Can I ask you something?" _

"_Yeah Naruto, anything." She nodded reassuringly. _

"_Do you know that I love you, Sakura-chan?" He asked, folding his hands under his chin and leaning his elbows on the table._

_Sakura's eyes went wide, and she blushed. "Yes, I do Naruto. You have since we were kids." She remembered how she had always beaten him to a pulp every time he had hit on her._

"_Well, I still do, Sakura. And I always will." He smiled at her as he took her hand in his, and rubbed his thumb over hers gently._

"_I-I-I…" Sakura was at a loss for words. She knew that her blond friend had a thing for her, but she never thought that he could come out and tell her so blatantly that he LOVED her. Honestly, when she was younger, she had a few feelings for her friend. Her love for the blond had grown as she got older, her hormones growing wilder with her. "I really like you too, Naruto."_

"_But, Sakura, do you LOVE me? Do you wake up every morning thinking of me? Do you wish I was by your side at every waking moment, Sakura?"_

_She looked into his sky-blue eyes, and saw a glimmer. "Is that how you think of me?"_

"_Yes. I love you, Sakura." He gave her a small, sincere smile and leaned across the table that was separating them. She gulped nervously as she noticed how close he was, and in an instant, they were in a lip-lock over the table._

_Her eyes were wide in shock, when she felt his tongue gliding over her lips. She pulled away, making him grunt in an annoyed tone. "Please not here, Naruto-kun. Can't it wait?"_

_Naruto frowned, but heeded the kunoichi's word. People were staring._

_Naruto's beeper went off, and he pulled it out to look at the emergency. "Shit." He said clearly aggravated. "Someone's been spotted on the outskirts of town; he's got a Sound Village headband on. I have to go, Sakura."_

"_But can't the other guys get him? Please stay, Naruto." Sakura said, grabbing his hand as he stood._

_He pulled away from her soft grip violently. "I HAVE TO GO!" he strode out of the small restaurant, and broke into a run when he got outside._

_She watched her blond friend as long as she could before he and his orange outfit dissipated completely into the blackness of the night._

_Tears came falling from her light emerald eyes as she heard his last four words echo over and over again in her head. She over-heard a woman close by say "Oh, that poor girl. She only wanted him to stay with her. She must really love him."_

_She looked at the older woman, and she looked at Sakura with kind eyes and a small sad frown._

_**End Flashback**_

She walked outside into the cool air of the Konoha night, and started home…alone.

She had just come out of the place when she heard a man say: "So the idiot walked out on you, huh?" She immediately knew who it was. The only person that would speak of Naruto that way. The only person to have that raspy, low, and barely used voice. Sasuke.

Her eyes welled with tears again. "Yeah…" Sasuke came out of his shadowy hiding place.

"I was waiting here…I thought he would. I heard about some Sound ninjas the other day and I wasn't surprised to see them come." He said, shrugging to the pink-haired girl.

"Oh, SASUKE!" She flung herself on him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Sasuke stiffened, but came to when the girl in his arms was sobbing into his shoulder. He was always a sucker for tears.

"He just left m-me…HE WALKED OUT ON ME, SASUKE! W-what do I d-do?" she slurred into his jacket, shaking furiously at her own crying and the cool winter air outside.

"What exactly happened, Sakura?" he whispered gently, trying to calm his friend down.

"He got a beep…then he said he had to g-go…and I only wanted him t-to s-stay…but he yanked away from m-me and l-left…" She said, squeezing the usually emotionless ninja tighter. "Oh, S-sasuke…"

"Sakura, let me take you home," He said, trying to lead the weeping kunoichi back to his home. "You can stay with me." He said, a cunning smile gracing his lips.

She pulled away from him to look confusedly at the ebony-haired ninja. When she realized that he wasn't kidding, she smiled and said, "Thank you Sasuke."


	2. A Visit With Sasuke

next chapter. woo! sorry it took me so long to update, people. been busy…

Sasuke wrapped the shuddering kunoichi in his jacket and lead her to his apartment. "Sakura, everything will be fine. Just trust me on this. He loves you too much to leave you this way."

Sakura stared into space as she heard her friend's words. She cuddled up to his side as they walked, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Okay, Sasuke. I trust you."

When they reached his apartment, he unlocked his door, and led the girl inside. He sat her on the couch, and sat beside her in the almost complete darkness of his home.

"Do you want me to turn on the lights?" He asked her, his arm draped over her shoulders.

"No, I want to be in the dark for awhile. I'm too sad." She said, leaning onto the curse-marked one.

"Alright," Sasuke responded, a bit relieved. He never liked the light. "Sakura, what will make you feel better?"

"Besides killing Uzumaki? Hmm…" she joked, then pondered for a moment, and came up with an idea. "Will you do this for me, Sasuke?"

"What is it?" he asked, turning towards her a bit.

"Kiss me, Sasuke." She said seductively, as the onyx-eyed ninja stared at her in disbelief. But he had said he would do this for her, so he leaned in.

She leaned in as well, and their lips touched. Sakura was going to pull away, but was stopped by Sasuke's hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer.

He wrapped his other arm around her waist, and pulled her onto his lap. He drank her in, and let up for breath. The kunoichi and the ninja were both breathing heavily, and Sasuke smiled deviously at her wide-eyed expression.

"Sasuke…" Sakura muttered, out of breath.

"Too much for the cherry-blossom?" Sasuke joked, kissing her again.

Sakura gasped, and grabbed his shoulders. She only enjoyed Sasuke's 'company' more by moving to straddle him, and couldn't ignore his arousal.

She let him explore her mouth, and combed her fingers through his jet-black hair. It was like running your fingers through silk. She moaned under the kiss, and noticed how much he was enjoying it too.

He slid his hands under the back of her shirt, and began to fumble with the clasp of her bra. She pulled away from him, and quickly got off his lap. "Sasuke!"

"What?" he asked, out of breath, and completely aroused.

"What the hell were you doing?!" She said, crossing her arms over her chest, as if to protect it.

"I, uh…uh, heh-heh…" He looked at her, and played goody-good . _'All I have to do is win her trust back, then I can REALLY take her for a ride.' _He thought cunningly. He positioned a fake sorry-smile on his lips. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Still cool?" he held out his hand for her to take, and she took it, though hesitant. "Still cool." She repeated, and smiled at her friend. She laughed, and he, though unexpectedly, laughed with her.

"Do you want to sleep over? I have a guest room…" Sasuke offered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Sure, Sasuke. Thank you." Sakura smiled at him, and he took her to her temporary room.

He handed her a large black shirt that went down to about the middle of her thigh. She took it, and went in the guest room to change out of her other clothes.

Sasuke went in his room, and changed into a big navy-blue shirt and black cotton pants. He lay down on his queen-sized bed, and started to drift while thinking, _'I've got her back…and away from Uzumaki. It's working perfectly…'_

A downpour came soon, and scared Sakura out of her peaceful sleep in the dark little room. She stood, and tip-toed into Sasuke's room where he lay sleeping peacefully on his side.

She crept into the room and lay next to him, careful not to wake the sleeping ninja. She cuddled to him, and she drifted to her own dreamland. Unknown to her, however, she had awakened the curse-marked one, and he stared down at her sleeping form.

He only smiled, and wrapped his arms protectively around her, and went to sleep.

When she woke up the next day, she lay alone in the large bed, tangled in his black sheets. She got up, and went into the kitchen, where she found Sasuke drinking black coffee.

"Morning, beautiful." He said to her, scanning her figure in the over-sized tee-shirt.

Sakura smiled dryly and sat across from him. "Morning, Sasuke." She looked at the clock on his wall, and stood once again. "I have to go, Sasuke, I have to go to work today." She told him, wanting to get away from her thoughts of last night.

"Okay, just leave the shirt in the room I'll get it later." He said, casually getting his cup and lifting it to his lips.

She did as told, and left the reclusive ninja to his own musings inside the apartment.

She walked to her own apartment, and relaxed until her shift at 7:00. She noticed it was getting dark, and glanced at the clock... it read 6:32, so she got up and changed into her white doctor's coat, then headed for the hospital.

When she arrived, two nurses swarmed her, and began asking what to do about this, and how to treat that. "You know, THAT'S WHY YOU'RE NURSES!" she shouted, causing the nurses to jump back out of her way.

Tsunade came to her in the hallway, and shoved a clipboard at Sakura. "We have a new patient. Came in just an hour ago. He asked for you specially, so get moving."

"But, Tsunade, why are you he-"

"Go, Sakura!" she howled from down the hallway.

She didn't even bother looking at the clip-board, just rushed into the room to see who wanted her here.

She entered the room, and saw a man lying on the bed, his head turned away from her. All she could see was his blond hair. There were bandages around his exposed chest, and his hands and arms were bleeding.

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. umm…" she glanced down at the clipboard she had almost plastered to her chest. "Uzumaki…NARUTO?!?!" she ran to the bed, and turned his head gently towards her. She immediately saw the marks on his face. It _was_ Naruto.

oh no, what's happened here? You will have to read to find out! reviews would be nice.


	3. Hospitals Are So Depressing

no, this is NOT a SasuSaku fic. please keep reading, guys! I ENJOY YOUR SATISFACTION!

"Uhn…" Naruto stirred, and opened his eyes. He saw the pink-haired woman and smiled weakly. "S-sakura…"

"No, Naruto, don't try to move." She was almost in tears.

He insisted on trying to sit up again and failed, hissing in pain. He lay back down. "Sakura…I'm…sorry…" He whispered weakly.

"No, no, Naruto don't be," she said, reaching out to his bandaged forehead, and letting tears fall from her light emerald orbs. "It's okay, forget about it."

"No, it's…not. I should've…been more understanding…" He said looking at his beloved, and sighing lightly.

Sakura dropped to her knees. "Oh, Naruto," She said, putting her head in her hands to cry in them. "How did this happen?" She asked, lifting her head to look at the blond ninja.

"Orochimaru…it was an ambush…" He said with fear in his eyes as he recalled the horrible attack. "Sakura…I hurt…everywhere…"

"Naruto, forgive me," the kunoichi pleaded as she thought, _'How could I forget about the reason he's here?!?'_ She quickly drove chakra into her hands, and placed them first over Naruto's chest, then his arms, hands, and forehead. Once she was finished, she sat next to the bed in a small chair supplied for that reason.

"Thank you…Sakura-chan." He said, smiling as much as his muscles would allow. Which wasn't much.

"No problem, Naruto." Her lips were instantly pulled into a soft upward curve at the sound of his voice. She rested her tired hands on the side of the small bed, and Naruto took them in his. He kept them warm, since they were cold from the air of the infirmary.

Sakura looked at the blond and wondered why he was in such a hurry to leave in any case. _'The old Naruto would delay his leave, or even IGNORE the mission…'_ She decided to ask him. "Hey Naruto, why were you in such a hurry to get out there, anyway?"

"Well," Naruto was unsure of how to explain things. "Tsunade had the entire fate of the village on my hands, and I didn't want to disappoint her." He told her, closing his eyes at the name of their current Hokage.

"So…Tsunade-sama put that awful responsibility on you?" She looked at her friend with worry, and anger at her teacher. **"Tsunade BAKA!"** Her Inner voice screamed, obviously as furious with her as Sakura was.

"Heh, yeah. But, I'm gonna be alright." He sat up. "As long as _you_ healed me."

She blushed as he complimented her brilliant effort in her field. "Yeah, you'll be fine. You're strong, Naruto, even if _I_ didn't heal you you'd recover."

They both smiled warmly at each other as Sakura stood. "I have to tend to other patients; I'll see you before I leave." She walked out of the room to lave behind a lonely Naruto, only to be swarmed by more nurses.

reviews? Anyone?...


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